A hard-earned point against leaders Luton at the weekend and a much-needed win over relegation rivals Shrewsbury have massively aided Plymouth Argyle's chances of League One survival this season.

There are still nine matches to go until the end of the campaign, but with Argyle now up to 12th in the table - five points above the relegation zone - and after a number of encouraging results in recent weeks, their chances of avoiding the drop are looking increasingly likely each week.

Much like last season, perhaps this year's campaign can be best described as a season of two halves. The Pilgrims were rock bottom of the table just two-and-a-half months ago, but a brilliant run since the turn of the year has seen them pull five points clear of the drop zone.

However, there is no getting away from the fact that much like last season, Argyle's dreadful start to the campaign has cost them.

Plymouth have shown over the past two seasons with that they are too good to be fighting against relegation back to League Two and the poor start is something Derek Adams must address ahead of next season - especially if his side are to remain in League One.

One player who has been absolutely key in the club's turnaround in fortunes in 2019 is midfielder Ruben Lameiras.

He has played a key role all season and is currently the Pilgrims' second highest scorer with 11 goals. He has caused League One defences all sorts of problems with sharp movement and skill on the ball.

However, the highly-influential player is out of contract in the summer with the Plymouth Herald reporting that Adams is not in a position to offer the player a new deal at the moment as he does not know his budget for next season.

This has to be viewed as worrying news for Plymouth fans, as there are plenty of teams who will no doubt be interested in signing Lameiras and Argyle cannot afford to lose him.

His contribution to the team this season cannot be underestimated and Adams must do everything in his power to keep the player at Home Park.

He will no doubt prove a key player next season if Adams can do so, however, perhaps even more worryingly, keeping important players at the club has not always proved easy in the past, with key performers Sonny Bradley and Oscar Threlkeld both leaving as free agents last summer after rejecting new contracts.